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Oil Leak: Dealer said Ford stated This is NORMAL

74K views 179 replies 61 participants last post by  Remog 
#1 ·
I took my car in because there's oil seeping from between the Engine and The Transmission. Also a very metallic rattle when the car is in 6th gear and low RPM's. Like going up an incline at almost 40mph.

I just got a call and they said the tech couldn't reproduce the noise and the Oil leak is normal. Its not oil she said,. its some sort of factory fluid that they use during assembly and quite normal for it to leak.

I have officially HEARD THEM ALL now!. THank you FORD!.

I told her that It never did that before and she said that the Tech has had quite a few cases where they saw that same leak and contacted Ford and was told that was a Normal condition of this vehicle. [facepalm]
 
#60 ·
Hey mthurman,

Thanks for the update. Keep me posted on how the diagnosis/repair process goes. I'm always happy to jump in and see what I can do to help. Just send me a PM and I'll get to work.

Have a great day,
Crystal [headbang]
 
#65 ·
mthurman,

I'm glad to hear that they're taking great care of you. Keep me posted!

Glad to hear they are getting it fixed. I am taking mine back in on Thursday as oil is still leaking even though they replaced it 6 weeks ago. On the service order I got back, there was no mention of TSB 11-12-13 or replacing the clutch due to oil contamination/saturation, so this time I taking in a print out of the TSB, and Crystal escalated my case and the regional rep has already called me saying that she will be checking in on my car on Friday. =) I will report once I hear back from the dealership.
Hi socalrider66,

It sounds like things are progressing nicely. Please let me know how things go. If you need anything else, I'm just a PM away.

Thanks!
Crystal [8D]
 
#63 ·
Glad to hear they are getting it fixed. I am taking mine back in on Thursday as oil is still leaking even though they replaced it 6 weeks ago. On the service order I got back, there was no mention of TSB 11-12-13 or replacing the clutch due to oil contamination/saturation, so this time I taking in a print out of the TSB, and Crystal escalated my case and the regional rep has already called me saying that she will be checking in on my car on Friday. =) I will report once I hear back from the dealership.
 
#70 ·
My Focus just passed 20,000 miles. I've also experienced the rattling/chattering sound at 40mph and stuttering issues in my Focus. On Sunday, as I was doing an oil change, I saw some oil seeping out of the area between the engine and transmission. I took it into the dealer this morning and at the end of the day, they confirmed the oil out of the leak is transmission fluid. They said they'll have their transmission expert look at it tomorrow. They currently have me on a loaner Focus. Hopefully this issue gets resolved.
 
#71 ·
Hi xf7975,

Thanks for sharing your experience. It sounds like your dealership is taking good care of you and working on resolving your concern. If you need my assistance at any point, feel free to reach out to me via PM and I'll see how I can help.

Thanks!
Crystal
 
#74 ·
Leak between engine and transmission

After reading this forum and remembering seeing something odd when I did the last oil change, I put the car up on ramps today and took off the aero cover under the engine to find brown fluid leaking from the seam between the engine and the bell housing. The fluid is slippery so I'm thinking it is transmission fluid.

Recently, I have had some shifts that have vibrated the steering wheel so my guess is the clutches have oil on them.

I went on to the Ford Owners page and scheduled an appointment for 12/11 to have my leak looked at.

TSB 11-12-13 may be in my near future.
 
#78 ·
After reading this forum and remembering seeing something odd when I did the last oil change, I put the car up on ramps today and took off the aero cover under the engine to find brown fluid leaking from the seam between the engine and the bell housing. The fluid is slippery so I'm thinking it is transmission fluid.

Recently, I have had some shifts that have vibrated the steering wheel so my guess is the clutches have oil on them.

I went on to the Ford Owners page and scheduled an appointment for 12/11 to have my leak looked at.

TSB 11-12-13 may be in my near future.
Let us know how it goes!
 
#79 ·
Leak found by dealer service

Took my car into the dealer today and gave them pictures of the leak. After a couple hours I got a phone call from the dealer and they found the leak and had ordered the parts which should be in tomorrow and the repair done by the end of the day tomorrow. They are arranging for a loaner for the time it is in the shop.

I'll post again when I get it back with the details of what happened.
 
#80 ·
Took my car into the dealer today and gave them pictures of the leak. After a couple hours I got a phone call from the dealer and they found the leak and had ordered the parts which should be in tomorrow and the repair done by the end of the day tomorrow. They are arranging for a loaner for the time it is in the shop.

I'll post again when I get it back with the details of what happened.
Nice, your dealership is quick.
 
#85 ·
A little sidebar regarding oil leaks:

Many manufacturers classify "leaks" in two ways. Leaks and seepage. Seepage is the wetness you'll often see around differential seals, front mains, driveshaft seals and it doesn't ever touch the ground. A very small amount pushes past seals and through the porosity of the case material. Seepage is considered "normal" in many cases and warranty repairs are technically forbidden. How your dealer responds to your concern and what they tell the manufacturer often differs from what the manufacturer would actually recommend, regarding seepage fixes.

Leakage is the same as seepage but it actually hits the ground


I always found this comical but it kinda makes sense. Most people are never underneath their car and those that are - more often than not have no clue what is and isn't supposed to be there....there is a reason your underbody isn't painted, chromed and covered in cute little plastic covers.

Furthermore producing millions of gearboxes, engines, differentials, transfer cases, etc with outsourced seals that have even greater production variance that seal every single drop of fluid for 5-10 years in every climate known to man is akin to government efficiency - it's just not gonna happen.
 
#86 ·
If anything the seals are what should be inspected the most and held to higher specs because look at the issue with the seals failing in the DCT. A "cheap" & "small" part such as the seal is causing thousands of dollars in damaged parts and labor.
 
#88 ·
After 3+ days in the shop to fix the leak between the engine and the transmission, I have the car back. The paperwork does not specify that TSB 11-12-13 was performed but the text lists the steps that are in TSB 11-12-13 and the parts list is the same with one exception - the cluth assembly is BV6Z-7B546-B instead of BV6Z-7B546-A. I'm assuming since the TSB came out, the part was revised (hopefully for the better).

On the drive after picking the car up, I noticed the follwing:

1) The clutch was very grabby in the parking lot at low speed.
2) The transmission made no noise during any shift.
3) The shifts were a little harsh to start but by the end of the drive they had calmed down.
4) On my way home from work where I travel up and down different hills, the car did not seem to have difficulty with them - it seemed to be in the apprporiate gear and the transmission did not cause a shudder as it would have before the replacement.

Hopefully this is my last post on this subject. Only time will tell.
 
#89 ·
Mine was the exact same way in every detail. This was a couple months ago and to this day my transmission shifts PERFECTLY!. It always matches speed with the right gear, never bogs and if you need to slightly increase speed it will upshift smoothly and holds the gears through acceleration. You should also notice it pulls way harder from full throttle or passing on the highway.

[headbang]
 
#91 ·
Possible Transmission Leak? Please Help!

Hey guys.. I was just changing my oil (first time doing it myself on this car) and I noticed a sort of leak where the transmission is. Do you guys think this is normal?





Could someone help provide some insight? Oil change went fine. You can see where it is, the oil filter is on the left (front of the engine/car).

I appreciate the help!

Dave
 
#96 ·
I'd take it to the dealer as soon as possible. With the history of seal leaks in the Focus that damage the clutches it would be good to fix it before any damage is done.

Be sure your dealer is aware of the leak/clutch issue and doesn't think this is just a complaint about cosmetics.
 
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